National gifted education expert Tamra Stambaugh has been chosen as the next director of Vanderbilt’s Programs for Talented Youth, which provide a variety of intensive learning opportunities for gifted youth, their parents and educators.
Stambaugh will begin work Sept. 2. She is currently director of grants and special projects at the College of William and Mary’s Center for Gifted Education.
"We are very excited to have Tamra Stambaugh join the Peabody faculty. Her appointment signals a commitment that goes beyond offering excellent programs for gifted youth to strengthening Peabody’s intellectual leadership in this growing field," Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development, said. "Professor Stambaugh’s expertise in research, curriculum and gifted policy will expand our ability to create and disseminate knowledge about the cognitive processes and educational needs of this important population."
"I am thrilled to join the Vanderbilt Peabody faculty and to lead these important programs," Stambaugh said. "There are endless possibilities for research, curriculum development and professional outreach opportunities that can positively impact work with gifted students."
Stambaugh succeeds Elizabeth Schoenfeld, who revitalized and dramatically expanded Programs for Talented Youth in her two-year tenure.
"Elizabeth Schoenfeld has brought remarkable leadership to Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth. The Summer Academy increased its offerings and quintupled its enrollment, while providing more financial aid and strengthening diversity," Benbow said. "She also inaugurated new programs during the school year to support gifted children as well as their parents. Elizabeth has really put this program on the map, and we can’t thank her enough."
"I am sorry that Elizabeth Schoenfeld will be leaving PTY, but also pleased that Dr. Stambaugh will be joining us. She brings a wealth of experience and I anticipate great things to continue with the program," Donna Ford, professor of special education and a nationally recognized researcher in gifted education with a focus on gifted black students, said. "I am thrilled to have another colleague who shares my passion for and commitment to gifted students."
In addition to her research, policy and curricular work, Stambaugh has enjoyed a variety of experiences in education, including classroom teacher, teacher of gifted students, coordinator of gifted services, professional development consultant and university faculty responsibilities. With Joyce VanTassel-Baska, she is the co-author of Comprehensive Curriculum for Gifted Learners and Overlooked Gems: A National Perspective on Low-Income Promising Students. In addition, she has authored or co-authored research publications, curriculum units and book chapters related to curriculum differentiation, promising students of poverty, leadership, curriculum interventions, policy issues and gifted program evaluation.
Stambaugh is the recipient of the National Association for Gifted Children Doctoral Student Award, The College of William and Mary Center for Gifted Education Doctoral Student Award, and the Margaret, The Lady Thatcher Medallion for scholarship, service, and character.
For more information on Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth, visit http://pty.vanderbilt.edu. For more information on Vanderbilt’s Peabody College, ranked the No. 2 education school in the nation in 2008 by U.S. News & World Report, visit http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu.
Media Contact: Melanie Moran, (615) 322-NEWS
melanie.moran@vanderbilt.edu